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Saturday, June 30, 2012

WIN: Labor's view on ObomneyCare

What does SCOTUS upholding the ACA mean for you?

SEIU President Mary Kay Henry says the Supreme Court rejected the cynical politics of Republicans opposed to health care reform and working people won a resounding victory.

National Nurses United says the ruling shouldn’t be the end of health care activists’ efforts to find a permanent fix for America’s broken health care system.

The nurse’s union says it will step up a campaign for a universal health care program based on patient need, not on profits or ability to pay – a Medicare for all.

The American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said now that the Affordable Care Act has been upheld healthcare has been put within reach of working families and they will be able to get treatment they need without battling big insurance companies.

Families USA was one of many organizations that had been arguing for the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act.

Shortly after the Supreme Court ruling came down Executive Director Ron Pollack held a conference call to tout what the upholding of the Act meant.

Pollack noted:

No longer will they be able to charge a discriminatory premium based on health status, like an adult who may have high blood pressure. No longer will a health company be able to discriminate against women in the premiums they charge exclusively because of their gender.

We spoke with National Medical Association President Dr. Cedrick Bright about why his organization supporting the legislation.

Bright stated:

The law helps to catch the vulnerable people, we'll have a safety net for vulnerable people who fall through the cracks. The law does allow, does not allow for insurance to deny any type of patients coverage if you have pre-existing conditions. The law doesn not allow for insurance to cancel your coverage when you get sick. The law allows you to continue to get care while in the past there were limits on the care you could receive.

One aspect of the act that isn’t discussed very often is how it will specifically benefit women.

Some 19 million women are currently uninsured, but in 2014 part of the law kicks in that will make Medicaid available to 10.3 million women.

Women, on average, pay higher rates for health insurance, but part of the law now prohibits insurance companies from charging based on gender rating.

Additionally, the law takes a big leap when it comes to maternity laws in the United States.

Businesses with more than 50 employees will now be required to allow nursing women to take a break for the purpose of relieving breast milk.